Austin Cousino wins Rawlings Gold Glove

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky sophomore centerfielder Austin Cousino has been named one of three outfielders to win the 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove, given annually to nine of the top defenders at their positions in the NCAA, announced by the American Baseball Coaches Association on Wednesday.

Cousino is the second consecutive UK player to win the prestigious Gold Glove trophy, as Corey Littrell was honored as the NCAA’s top defensive pitcher in 2012 after leading the Southeastern Conference in pickoffs. In 2008, UK’s Ryan Wilkes became the first player in program history to win the Rawlings Gold Glove trophy after fielding a percent 1.000 as the everyday second baseman.

A native of Dublin, Ohio, the Rawlings Gold Glove trophy is actually the second of Cousino’s career, as the former Baseball America first-team High School All-America honoree won the award while starring at Dublin Coffman. Cousino also finished 2013 as a member of the SEC All-Defensive Team for the second consecutive year.

A 5-foot-10, 180-pound left-handed hitter, Cousino has dazzled in centerfield since arriving on campus for UK’s school-record 45 win season. He earned freshman All-America honors and became the first player in program history to win SEC Freshman of the Year, before leading the USA Collegiate National Team in hitting during the summer.

As a freshman, Cousino broke UK’s record for outfield putouts (142), leading the team with eight outfield assists. He also hit a team-leading .319 with 20 doubles, two triples, nine homers, 41 RBI and 15 steals. In 2013, Cousino started 55 games in centerfield, batting .249 with 12 doubles, one triple, six homers and 27 RBI, stealing 14 bases. In his decorated two-year career, Cousino has hit .288 with 32 doubles, three triples, 15 homers and 68 RBI, stealing 29 bags.

Joining Cousino in the decorated defensive outfielder on the Gold Glove team are Buffalo senior Jason Kanzler and North Carolina State’s Brett Williams. Ole Miss catcher Stuart Turner and Alabama second baseman Kyle Overstreet were also named to the team.

Cousino’s summer will once again be spent with the USA Collegiate National Team, becoming the first player in Kentucky history to earn invites to the USA team in multiple years. USA will begin training on Friday, before kicking off its season with games throughout late June and early July. The club will travel to Matsuyama, Japan and Tokyo for five games with the Japan National Team. The summer for the USA club will conclude with five unique games against the Cuban National Team from July 18-23.

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Monday's Wildcat LinksBASKETBALLESPN/Ian O'Connor: Cats pass last major hurdleUSA Today: UK-Notre Dame was sports perfectionNBCSports: UK-Wisconsin is the rematch we deserved to seeFt. Wayne News-Sentinel: UK is what is right about college basketballZagsblog: Draft Express moves Towns to #1Nation of Blue: UK-Notre Dame set a TV ratings recordUK Basketball Live: watch a replay of UK-ND w/ UK Radio Network callsNextCats: Brown, Zimmerman, Newman in no hurry to make decisionsphoto courtesy Victoria Graff

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